The CVR Mag Aligner Rig

Some carp angling methods evolve into something truly extraordinary! Whereby the overall effectiveness of bringing together the right components and bait coalesce to create a method that is so effective it’s positively scary! And possibly the most significant example of this is the Magaligner.

On face value the Magaligner could be seen as ‘just another maggot rig’ but when you tie the rig right and fish it with a Micromesh PVA bag of germs it transcends the ordinary. The hook and bait are subtle as the hook used is relatively small compared to the iron work the carp normally comes across – having an Enterprise Magaligner grub mounted on the hook shank to create the line align effect and a few maggots mounted on the hook means that the baited hook is VERY inconspicuous. The Magaligner grubs are buoyant, so this also partially balances the weight of the hook making the hookbait react more positively when it’s initially

What this ultimately creates, when the finished rig is lobbed out with a Micromesh PVA bag, is a hugely appealing patch of maggots camouflaging the complete rig and a baited hook that blends in perfectly with the freebies. What this ultimately means is when a carp tilts up and starts browsing on the freebies the slightly balanced hookbait, mounted on a soft hooklink material, lifts easily into the fishes mouth and takes immediate hold thanks to the devastatingly effective hooking mechanics of the CVR or Mugga combined with the enhanced aggressive action of the ‘aligner’.

We always prefer to use a lovely supple braided hooklink like Trickster Heavy with the Magaligner rig – and the logic is simply that this super soft and pliable hooklink braid will not inhibit the small hook baits reaction when sucked. Despite the soft hooklink material tangles are not a problem as the baited hook is nicked onto the side of PVA mesh preventing them. Hooking it about 2/3rds of the way down the bag is just about right; leaving a little slack in the link so the hook doesn’t tear the PVA mesh if it hits the water awkwardly or goes in un-feathered (who would cast like that?!).

How big a bag of maggots to use and how do you mount it to start with? To my mind, by far the tidiest lead arrangement that allows the PVA bag to be tied securely onto the end of the rig without creating issues in terms of the whole arrangement hitting the lake is a helicopter style arrangement. In this case the pendant lead is swapped out for an inline lead held in place by a large ringed Flexi Ring swivel – tie the PVA bag to the ring swivel and jobs a good’un. It really is a case of all the component parts of the rig, the PVA bag and the lead arrangement working together perfectly to create a phenomenal end result.

*The same lead arrangement can be used with many other PVA bag arrangements.

If you’re getting regular action on the rods necessitating recasting you’ll find that the maggots create a build of activity; after all as each carp comes in and sucks up a dirty great mouthful of germs and gets hooked, as the fish panics it will inevitably blow the mouthful of freebies its inhaled out with the hook bait back out, creating a broader baited area and encouraging more carp to come in and feed over the wider spread of maggots. Inevitably a few of these will home in on the concentrated patches where the dissolved PVA bags have exploded their contents over a dinner plate area and the cycle continues.

Both strategically and mechanically the approach is spot on; Rob Maylin and Nernie Nonnington really did us all a massive favor when they came up and developed the Magaligner a few years ago and if your approaching a relatively weed free venue with maggots it’s one approach that you really should give a go.